Summer HR Checklist for Small Business Owners

Summer is finally here and there’s always a lot of HR related stuff to consider during the summer months. Here is my Summer HR Checklist for your small business to consider:

Dress Codes

Do you have a summer dress code policy?

With summer we’ll hopefully see some warm weather, and with warm weather comes different clothing. So having season-specific dress codes written into your policy is important, especially where employees have a client facing role. Necklines can plunge and skirts get shorter so you want employees to know what is acceptable. If you don’t have one already, you may consider creating a summer dress code policy. Don’t forget once you’ve created or amended your policy to communicate the content to your employees!

Seasonal Help

Have you considered taking on seasonal help?

With students out for summer, it’s the ideal time for companies who need a little extra help to consider recruiting some seasonal employees. You may even ask them to return for each holiday period and end up recruiting them permanently when they finish their studies!

Employee Engagement and Wellness

Is your workplace prepared for the summer heat?

The heat can have a negative effect on employee motivation. A good way to help your employees push through the summer brain drain is to have some fun activities planned. You can organise a game or rounders or cricket, a walk through a park with a picnic or something as simple as a round of ice creams during the afternoon. Decide what work for your company and employees and get on with it.

Have you planned a seasonal team building event?

Along with other benefits, the sunshine and warmth provide a great backdrop for a fun teambuilding activity. Picnics and BBQs are popular choices. But whatever works best for your company and employees is great. Spending time together outdoors will strengthen your culture and help keep employees engaged.

Are flexible working options available for your employees?

Children been off from school makes the work/life balance more difficult. Have a think about your normal working week and consider where you could be flexible. For example, you could allow employees to work an extra hour Monday to Thursday and let them leave at noon on Fridays during the school holidays. Decide what sort of option, if any, would work best for your company and your employees.

Administration

Do you have plans for any summer cleaning?

We all talk about “spring cleaning” but work can sometimes slowdown in the summer months, making it an ideal time to catch up on those HR housekeeping tasks you’ve been putting off, such as reviewing or updating Employee Handbook. Make a plan to work on a few of these subjects and maybe consider making it an annual event.

Managing Holiday Entitlement

Have you informed employees of your holiday rules?

If you have a summer shut down you need to remind employees of the timings of that period and the number of days they need to retain from their annual entitlement. Similarly, if you operate a holiday ban because summer is your busiest time, you need to remind your employees of the dates when they can’t book annual leave. Consider how will you manage conflicting requests for leave, be sure to come up with a process that works for you and relay it to all employees.

And finally, don’t forget your own holiday! As a business owner it’s hard to consider taking a break. But trust me, your employees will be fine. And you will get a much-needed recharge!

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